27 years old, as proven later, is a good age to die. At least in rock’n'roll music. Ironically, she is seen now as a pioneer female vocalist, in the then highly male-dominated world of music, and remains as the only woman belongong to the “27 Club“. After all, perhaps something in her destiny was written.

Released to public in 1971, her best-selling album is “Pearl“. “Mercedes Benz” was included despite it being a first take, and the track “Buried Alive In The Blues” was kept as an instrumental.

• In 2008, the American magazine “Rolling Stone” , ranked Janis 28th as greatest singer of all time
• Her best selling album, “Pearl,” was released posthumously in 1971
• In 1969, she was arrested in Florida, in Tampa, for “vulgar and indecent language”
• In 1963, a fraternity voted her the ugliest man on campus of the University of Texas

Another massive book (30.9 x 42.5 cm and a mere 2.1 kilos!), from famed Holloywood Photographer Mario Testino, and foreworded by Nicole Kidman, which brings you litterally in the life of celebrities. The list of those portrayed here would be long but let’s only mention, Demi Moore, Cameron Diaz, Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt, George Clooney.

A comment on the book’s Amazon.com page states “looks more like a last minute pull out from all of his vanity fair and vogue spread from previous few years”. This is not completely untrue, but the author probably haven’t read the interview at the beginning of the book. This book is telling you how a photographer gets confidence from world stars, at a point where intimacy becomes key : the photographer knows he will make them look good. And vice-versa. Further, this pictures featured here are more like a collection of the photographer’s favorites. The title is so because the book is supposed to ‘let you in’ where you cannot get (celebrities’ parties and high profile social gatherings). This is untrue as well.

So try it at home : pick-up someone ready to go intimate with you hidden behind a camera… snap, snap, snap… review…. and there you got it: simple pictures are all but simple to take. Get the book, there is a lot more to learn in there than you – and many others – first thought.

What more you need to know:

• Mario Testino was (and still is regularly) also commissioned by royal families in Europe (UK, Denmark, Jordan, etc.)
• Mario Testino is not Italian. He was born in Peru on the 30th October 1954
• “Let Me In!” is his 7th book. The most famous remains “Portraits” (with this picture one of my all-time favorite)
• Selling 1 print of Diana’s portrait allowed the construction of a children clinic in Peru

Editor’s page for the book (and option to purchase the limited edition) : http://www.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/photography/all/01062/facts.mario_testino_let_me_in.htm

That’s one piece of a movie… Sometimes dubbed the best adventure movie of all times (and ranked 18th @ IMDB’s top 250). Come to think of it, what are the recent great adventures movies ? They are all gone. It is a style no longer existing. And spare me The Mummy and its sequels…

So what do we have here? If there was a formula to make great, entertaining movies, it is hidden somewhere in this one. The problem is even the authors seem to have forgot it. Firts of all the introduction. Before the title, we can see Indiana Jones somewhere in South America, seeking a relic and finally being trapped by his worst enemy. This introduction has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. It is only a pretext to introduce us to Indiana Jones himself and his main enemy, along with the great score from John Williams.

From the Raiders, many tried to reach the formula and packed their movies with action, fun and heroes and girls, special effects, etc. etc. etc. BUT…

… Isn’t the movie also asking – or wondering – about the relationship between science (here archeology) and religion? There is a sense of derision towards religious beliefs, leading me to think Spielberg puts his answer in the charachter’s mouths.

Maj. Eaton: [sees a picture of the Ark with rays of power coming out of it] Good God!
Brody: Yes, that’s what the Hebrews thought.
—

Belloq: It’s a transmitter, a radio for speaking to God.

Finally, Is Indiana Jones the primary hero, incarnating what men would love to have (the girl, the fun & the style) and values women seek (the adventure, the honor & the fidelity). Look at him again… He does everything wrong to be the antihero and looks like a cheap hero, though again, the formula works. As above, these traits also appear in the quotes.

Note I did not choose the most obvious…

Indiana: Do we need the monkey?
Marion: I’m surprised at you. Talking that way about our baby. He’s got your looks, too.
Indiana: And your brains.
—

Katanga: Mr. Jones! I’ve heard a lot about you, sir. Your appearance is exactly the way I imagined.

After all this, you may still need to know:

• The picture was co-written by George Lucas
• Indiana Jones ’5′ is in development and should be release in 2012
• Tom Selleck was the initial cast for the role of Indiana Jones
• The scene where Indy threatens to blow up the Ark with a bazooka was filmed in the same canyon in Tunisia,  where in Star Wars, R2-D2 was zapped and stolen by Jawas
• The German psychopat burning his hand in Nepal is named Toht. No character pronounces his name in the movie

Check out the About page to find out what this is about and why this blog is called ’4 pieces’ !